Detector development for the instruments in the forward region of future linear colliders

The design of the luminosity calorimeter (LumiCal) for a future linear collider is based on a tungsten-silicon sandwich calorimeter. The first prototype of the silicon sensor, produced by Hamamatsu, was tested and characterized in the newly set up silicon lab of Tel Aviv University. A sensor equipped with read-out electronics was tested in the 4.5 GeV electron beam of DESY. The results of this first beam-test are presented and indicate that the sensor properties are well understood and that the design of the front-end electronics is adequate.